Uh Oh…Wurlitzer Down! Wurlitzer Down!

Now that Timmeh's network has given the thumbs up to the phrase "civil war in Iraq," with Matt Lauer playing Webster's for America by walking us through the definition this morning, where can President Bush turn for help? Not Bill Kristol:

The biggest dogfight is still ahead: whether to cut a deal with regimes like Iran, North Korea and Syria. Bush's approach has been to counter threats from oppressive regimes by trying to change them. Bill Kristol, editor of the Weekly Standard and the punditocracy's best-known neocon, says it's hard to imagine the president turning his back on all that. "I think Bush is the last neocon in power," he says. "The truth is, it was always Bush."

Froomkin, who blessedly is back from vacation, has a whole lot more on the reporting on this issue. Read the whole of Froomkin — it is worth it, every single word, and click through the links, especially the Monica Toft one from Neiman Watchdog wherein she lists the criteria for consideration of a conflict as being characterized as a civil war, and discusses the fact that Iraq has met all six criteria since 2004.

When the facets of the Wurlitzer are fighting amongst themselves for blame and finger-pointing and credit, where does that leave the GOP rank and file? Uh oh…Wurlitzer down.

(This has been another public service announcement from the Department of Great Moments in Popcorn…)

UPDATE: In case you were wondering why it is that it has taken the bigwigs at the media so long to see Iraq through something other than the Administration's rose-colored lenses, Atrios has a good video demonstration.

Christy Hardin Smith

Christy is a "recovering" attorney, who earned her undergraduate degree at Smith College, in American Studies and Government, concentrating in American Foreign Policy. She then went on to graduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania in the field of political science and international relations/security studies, before attending law school at the College of Law at West Virginia University, where she was Associate Editor of the Law Review. Christy was a partner in her own firm for several years, where she practiced in a number of areas including criminal defense, child abuse and neglect representation, domestic law, civil litigation, and she was an attorney for a small municipality, before switching hats to become a state prosecutor. Christy has extensive trial experience, and has worked for years both in and out of the court system to improve the lives of at risk children.